Aphrodite

8. Aphrodíti(Aphrodite; Gr. Ἀφροδίτη, ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ. Etym. ἀφρός "foam" + δύτης "diver," the diver rises from the sea, and evoking ἀναδύομαι, "come up from" [especially the sea]. Pronunciation: ah-froh-THEE-tee, roll the 'r' slightly; the d (dælta) is pronounced like the soft th in this, not like the hard th in theory.)

Aphrodíti is one of the most important deities of all Ællinismόs(Hellenismos; Gr. Ἑλληνισμός), the ancient Greek religion, being one of theTwelve Olympian Gods. She is the great Goddess of Armonía (Harmony; Gr. Ἁρμονία).

Pándimos Aphrodíti and OuraníaAphrodíti

According to the mythology presented in the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony, there are two births of Aphrodíti. First she is born from the castrated genitals of Ouranós (Uranus; Gr. Οὐρανός) as they fell into the sea and created a foam [1] . She is, therefore, known as Ouranía (Gr. Οὐρανία), the "heavenly" Goddess, she who was born of Ouranós or the Sky.

In the story of the second birth of Aphrodíti, Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς) pursues the Goddess Dióhni (Dione; Gr. Διώνη) [2] , but his advances are resisted and his seed falls into the sea from which later emerges Pándimos (common or vulgar; Gr. Πάνδημος) Aphrodíti, she who blesses the sexual unions of mortals.

These two mythologies can be seen as revealing two aspects, or two faces, of one Goddess.

"But since there are two Venuses (ed. Aphrodíti), there must of necessity be two loves (ed. Ǽrohs or Eros; Gr. Ἔρως). For it is undeniable, that two different Goddesses there are, each of whom is a Venus: one of them elder, who had no mother, and was born only from Uranus (ed. Ouranós), or Heaven, her father; she is called the celestial Venus: the other, younger, daughter of Jupiter (ed. Zefs) and Dione (ed. Dióhni); and to her we give the name of the vulgar Venus." [3]

Considering this, we can see that Aphrodíti has two general aspects. She is Ouranía, the great mystical Goddess who harmonizes the struggles of Life, the dominion of quarrelsome Áris. Aphrodíti is also Pándimos, she of the common popular religion, the great Goddess who sanctions the necessary physical unions of the mortal creatures; she fosters and blesses the Ǽrohs of sex (Ἵμερος and the mundane Ἔρωτες), the natural reproductive functions of the humans and the many creatures (but this Ǽrohs is not quite the same as the Kozmogonic Ǽrohs, which is the dominion of the Goddess Íra [Hera; Gr. Ήρα]). In our religion, sex or generation, is not in any way condemned, but is considered sacred and is protected by the beautiful Goddess.

Generalities Concerning Aphrodíti

Who is Aphrodíti? There are many people in our time who love the Goddess because they think she is a great deity of pleasure, but the Neoplatonic philosopher Damáskios (Damascius; Gr. Δαμάσκιος), writing in the sixth century C.E., has a different opinion:

"None of the ancients identifies Aphrodite with Pleasure: how do we account for this? Because Aphrodite is the cause of union, of which pleasure is only an accompaniment; and because there is much ugliness in bodily pleasure at least, whereas Aphrodite is beauty, not only the beauty that comes from divine inspiration, but also that of nature." [4]

Aphrodíti, like Poseidóhn, is identified with the Sea because of the mythology which states that she was born from the genitive material of Ouranós which fell into the ocean, and, thus, the scallop-shell is associated with her.

Aphrodíti is the personification of nature's generative ability. Thus, she is popularly believed to be the Goddess of love and thought of as the most beautiful and graceful.

Aphrodíti possesses a girdle or belt which has the ability to attract the object of one's desire to the one who wears it.

The poppy flower as well as the rose, myrtle, and the apple are sacred to her. The milokydóhnion (ancient) or simply kydóhni (modern Gr. κυδώνι) is the quince, another fruit sacred to Aphrodíti, traditionally given as part of a Greek wedding ceremony. The dove and the swan are birds which are sacred to the Goddess, as well as swallows and sparrows. The tortoise is sacred to Ouranía Aphrodíti (see above) and the ram was sacred to Pándimos Aphrodíti (see above). The month of Távros (Taurus; Gr. Ταύρος) is sacred to her, and one of the planets, Venus, is named after her.

Aphrodíti and Íphaistos

Aphrodíti is said to be married to Íphaistos (Hephaestus; Gr. Ἥφαιστος); this is because she beautifies the Forms created by the mighty God. In the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony the story is told somewhat differently, Íphaistos unites with Aphrodíti, creating the Form of the universe and he then mingles with the younger Kháritæs (Charities; Gr. Χάριτες) who beautify his work. The Younger Kháritæs are Splendor (Ἀγλαΐα) Good Glory (Εὔκλεια), Abundance (Ευθηνία), Good Fame (Εὐφήμη), and Friendliness (Φιλοφροσύνη). [5]

Aphrodíti and Áris

Also in the mythology, Aphrodíti is amorously tied to Áris (Ares; Gr. Ἄρης) by which they produce the child Armonía (Harmonia; Gr. Ἁρμονία). Armonía, or Harmony, is the result of the necessary struggles which are inherent in Life, the dominion of Áris, struggles which are harmonized at the Eighth Íkos (Oikos [i.e. zodiacal house]; Gr. Οἶκος) by Aphrodíti. Armonía is wedded to Kádmos (Cadmus; Gr. Κάδμος), a divine being, a Light Being, the founder of Thívai (Thebes; Gr. Θῆβαι) and the first Hero. Armonía and Kádmos produce a child, Sæmǽli (Semele; Gr. Σεμέλη), who later unites with mighty Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς). And when Sæmǽli is burnt in the famous myth, Zefs retrieves from her body the tiny fetus conceived from the heart of Zagréfs and sews it into his leg. When the time is up, Diónysos (Dionysus; Gr. Διόνυσος) the Liberator is born from the leg of Zefs, who later reveals to mankind the great Mysteries which free us from the sufferings of the sorrowful cycle of births (κύκλος γενέσεως). All this story may be found in the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony (See The Sixth King). Thus we can see how in many ways, the great Goddess is deeply involved in the Mysteries of our religion.

Aphrodíti, Áris, and Ádohnis

For this story, we follow that told by Panyásis (Gr. Πανυάσις) as recorded in The Library of Apollódohros (Gr. Ἀπολλόδωρος).

Smýrna (Gr. Σμύρνα) was the daughter of Theias (Gr. Θείας), king of the Assyrians. According to the mythology, she had angered the Goddess Aphrodíti who placed an unnatural desire into her heart for her own father. She tricked him into sleeping with her for twelve nights, but at last he discovered her deception. King Theias was furious and flew into a rage, running at the girl with a sword. Smýrna petitioned the Gods to save her and in answer to her prayer, they transformed her into a myrrh tree. But she had conceived a child and when the months were up, the trunk split to reveal a beautiful baby boy: Ádohnis (Adonis; Gr. Ἄδωνις). When Aphrodíti beheld the child she was instantly enamored of his bountiful loveliness. She hid him away in a chest and gave him to Pærsæphóni (Persephone or Proserpina; Gr. Περσεφόνη) for safekeeping. But Pærsæphóni was curious and opened the box. When the Goddess looked upon the child, she loved him and raised him in her kingdom. But when Aphrodíti returned, they fought over Ádohnis who was now a strikingly handsome young man. The case was put before Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς) and it was decided that each Goddess would be given Ádohnis for four months of the year and the remaining four months were to be his own. But Ádohnis chose to remain with Aphrodíti for these four months also. Later one day, Ádohnis was hunting and he was killed by a boar [6] . The boar, it is said, was actually a transformation of Áris [7] .

The story of Ádohnis has several variants, but this one, perhaps the most familiar, would seem to be most coherent. Aphrodíti, the Goddess of the pair, prepares the ground for the action of the male deity Áris, and the killing by a God is symbolic (always) of deification.

Aphrodíti in Iconography

In iconography, Aphrodíti is always a Goddess of incredible beauty and is often depicted naked or partially naked, unlike most of the female Goddesses.

"...Venus is naked; since harmony generates beauty, and beauty is not concealed in objects of sensible inspection." [8]

The Orphic Hymn to Aphrodíti

Please visit this page for a thorough examination of the Orphic hymn to Aphrodíti, a veritable snapshot of the essence of the Goddess. It includes the Thomas Taylor translation, the original Greek text, an easy transliteration of the Greek text for anyone who may wish to learn the hymn in ancient Greek, and a word-by-word examination of the poem:

Aphrodíti rules the eighth Orphic House, the month of Távros (Taurus; Gr. Ταύρος) from April 21 to May 20. The Divine Consort of Aphrodíti is Áris (Ares; Gr. Ἄρης), with whom she unites and produces the child Armonía (Harmonia; Gr. Ἁρμονία). [9] Thus, the dominion of Aphrodíti at the Eight Íkos (= House = Oikos; Gr. Οἶκος) is that of Harmony: she harmonizes the soul, producing Armonía, a semi-divine being who has been harmonized of the necessary internal battles presented by Áris. Armonía is then united with Kádmos (Cadmus; Gr. Κάδμος) and they produce the child Sæmǽli (Semele; Gr. Σεμέλη) [10] who, after uniting with Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς), produce the child Diόnysos (Dionysus; Gr. Διόνυσος). [11] This is the mythological story of the the birth of the great liberator-God, but it is also symbolic of all souls who accept the influence of Zefs at the Eighth Íkos where they become a Semi-God, i.e. almost a God. And without it being harmonized by Aphrodíti, the soul cannot be deified at the next level, that of Apóllohn (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων). When the souls are deified, because they have undergone the same process as Diόnysos, they are sometimes called "Diόnysi."[12]

μήδεα δ᾿ ἐς πέλαγος πέσεν ὑψόθεν, ἀμφὶ δὲ τοῖσι λευκὸς ἐπιπλώουσιν ἑλίσσετο πάντοθεν ἀφρός· ἐν δὲ περιπλομέναις ὥραις Ἐνιαυτὸς ἔτικτεν παρθένον αἰδοίην, ἥν δὶ παλάμαις ὑπέδεκτο γεινομένην τὸ πρῶτον ὁμοῦ Ζῆλός τ' Ἀπάτη τε.“The genitals (of Ouranos) fell down into the sea, and round about them as they floated swirled the white foam. Then in the circling season the Year brought forth a tender maiden, and the spirits of Rivalry (Ζῆλος) and Beguilement (Ἀπάτη) together took her up in their arms, so soon as she was born.” (Translation as found in Orpheus and Greek Religion by W.K.C. Guthrie, 1952; found in the 1993 Princeton Univ. Press edition [Princeton, NJ USA] on p. 139.)

“(Described by Proclus as the birth of the second Aphrodite.) …and the sea received the seed of great Zefs. So as the year completed its circling course, in the season of fair springing plants he bore the waker of laughter, Aphroditē, the foam-born.” (trans. Ibid. Guthrie, p. 140.)

See also Ὅμηρος Ἰλιάς Book 5, line
370 and Ἀπολλόδωρος Βιβλιοθήκη 1.3.1.

[3] Πλάτων Συμπόσιον180.d-e,
speech of Παυσανίας; trans. Thomas Taylor, 1804; found here in The
Works of Plato, Vol. III published by The Prometheus Trust, Somerset UK, in
1996, Vol. XI of The Thomas Taylor Series (TTS XI) p. 501.

[4] Δαμάσκιος On the Φίληβος of Πλάτων i.21. trans. L. G.
Westerink, first published in 1959 by New Holland Publishing. We are
using the revised third edition from 2010 published by Prometheus Trust
(Wiltshire UK), p. 14.

[7] Serv. ad Virg. Ecl. x.
18; Ptolem. Hephaest. i. p. 306, ed. Gale (as cited by William
Smith DGRBM). Some versions of the story say that the boar was actually
other deities, but from an Orphic perspective, Áris makes most
sense.

"Never may pestilence empty this city of its men nor
strife stain the soil of the land with the blood of slain inhabitants. But may
the flower of its youth be unplucked, and may Ares, the partner of Aphrodite's
bed, he who makes havoc of men, not shear off their bloom."

"Also Cytherea (ed. Aphrodíti) bare to Ares the
shield-piercer Panic and Fear, terrible gods who drive in disorder the close
ranks of men in numbing war, with the help of Ares, sacker of towns: and
Harmonia whom high-spirited Cadmus made his wife."

[10] Ibid. Ἡσίοδος Θεογονία
975, H.G. Evelyn-White p. 151:

"And Harmonia,
the daughter of golden Aphrodite, bare to Cadmus Ino and Semele and fair-cheeked
Agave and Autonoe whom long haired Aristaeus wedded, and Polydorus also in
rich-crowned Thebe."

"Kadmos made a brilliant marriage, if, as the Greek
legend says, he indeed took to wife a daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. His
daughters too have made him a name; Semele was famed for having a child by
Zeus, Ino for being a divinity of the sea."

"Me too hath the Muse raised up for Hellas as a chosen
herald of wise words, who am proud that my race and my home are in Thebes the
city of chariots, where of old the story telleth how Cadmus by high design won
sage Harmonia, as his wedded wife, who obeyed the voice of Zeus, and became the
mother of Semele famed among men."

[11] Ibid. Ἡσίοδος Θεογονία 940, Evelyn-Whitep. 149:

"And Semele, daughter of Cadmus was joined with him
[ed. Zeus] in love and bare him a splendid son, joyous Dionysos,--a mortal
woman an immortal son. And now they both are Gods."

[12] While any soul which becomes deified by the
Gods may be called a Diónysos, not all Gods are the true
Diónysos, but only those which have been deified by Zefs (Zeus) at the Ninth
House of Apόllohn.

The logo to the left is the principal symbol of this website. It is called the CESS logo, i.e. the Children of the Earth and the Starry Sky. The Pætilía (Petelia, Πετηλία) and other golden tablets having this phrase (Γῆς παῖς εἰμί καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος) are the inspiration for the symbol. The image represents this idea: Earth (divisible substance) and the Sky (continuous substance) are the two kozmogonic substances. The twelve stars represent the Natural Laws, the dominions of the Olympian Gods. In front of these symbols is the seven-stringed kithára (cithara, κιθάρα), the lyre of Apóllohn (Apollo, Ἀπόλλων). It (here) represents the bond between Gods and mortals and is representative that we are the children of Orphéfs (Orpheus, Ὀρφεύς).

PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

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